Many new factories and warehouses contain large, complex systems to convey material within the facility and through the shipping and receiving areas. These systems often cover a large area and include many different pieces of equipment. For instance, computers and programmable controllers are used to control such systems and automatically route materials through the facility. Testing for proper operation of these systems is a difficult process.
In the prior art, testing of material conveying systems has been done using the actual system to verify proper operation. In some instances, special test fixtures have been built with switches connected to inputs and with indicators connected to the outputs of the system controller to provide simple GO/NO GO checks. Testing of the conveying system under fully loaded conditions was difficult and in most cases impossible.
This resulted in the conveying system not being stressed until the factory or warehouse was operating at full capacity. Often, many years elapse between initial installation and full capacity on very large systems.
The purpose of this invention is to simulate the actual material conveying system operating by imitating the movement of packages, operation of solenoids, transfer diverters, and other process machinery. The operation of the simulated system is shown using animation on a color graphic cathode ray tube (CRT) display. This enables the system designer to observe system operation prior to installation.
The apparatus according to this invention reduces the time and expense required to implement and test a material conveying system.